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Trailing seven long years behind Zoolander, Ben Stiller’s last project behind the camera, Stiller’s latest, Tropic Thunder, tells the story of a film shoot gone horribly, horribly wrong. Not long after first-time director Damien (Steve Coogan) arrives in Vietnam to make a movie based on the Vietnam War memoirs of an eccentric vet (Nick Nolte), he’s already over-budget and behind schedule. But it’s not all his fault. He may be incompetent, but his all-star cast is demanding and completely out of control.
In an attempt to get his cast to focus on the movie (and to save a few bucks in the process), Damien decides to bring them into the jungle and shoot guerilla style, using hidden cameras and a handheld. But when disaster strikes, the actors are left to fend for themselves, completely unaware of the real danger they’re in.
Though I’ve been less than impressed by Stiller’s recent roles in front of the camera, the co-writer/director/co-star seems to have gotten his comic groove back for this hilarious jungle adventure. Gone are the spastic freak-outs and the endless parade of gross-out jokes; they’ve been replaced by stone-faced satire and outrageous comic surprises.
Tropic Thunder offers up a simple story with a nearly flawless blend of action and comedy. The explosions and shoot-out scenes are grandiose and sometimes even breath-taking—in that Rambo-blowing-up-the-entire-jungle kind of way—but they’re also completely and hilariously over-the-top.
But, more than just a great action-comedy, Tropic Thunder is also a great Hollywood spoof—thanks to a surprisingly strong ensemble of actors who have absolutely no qualms about taking potshots at their chosen field. Robert Downey Jr. is hilarious as Kirk Lazarus, the award-winning actor who submerges himself so completely into each role that he has his skin pigmented to play an African-American officer (a role that he then performs, with utmost sincerity, in the most ridiculously stereotypical of ways). And while Stiller and Jack Black have a tendency to push their schtick until they’re just not funny anymore, both manage to reign it in this time around. As a result, they’re both genuinely funny—Black as insecure, drug-addicted funnyman Jeff Portnoy and Stiller as has-been action star Tugg Speedman. Yet, despite great performances by the leads, it’s a nearly unrecognizable Tom Cruise who completely steals the show with his surprisingly hilarious supporting role.
The movie’s best moments, however, are the ones that you don’t see coming—those shockingly hilarious moments that catch you completely off-guard. And that’s why I’m trying to go into as little detail as possible—because it’s just best if you don’t know what to expect when you walk into the theater. It’s a whole lot funnier that way—you’ll just have to take my word for it.
If there’s one thing to be said for Tropic Thunder, though, it’s that there’s never a dull moment. When you’re not gaping, wide-eyed, as the entire screen bursts into flames, you’ll be laughing at some shockingly outrageous gag. Sometimes both at the same time. Though most August-release comedies tend to be sophomoric stoner fare and cheap throwaways, Tropic Thunder is neither. Quite the contrary, in fact—it’s easily one of the best comedies of the year.
DVD Review:
I’m often amazed by which movies get the two-disc-special-edition-DVD treatment. While some offer a handful of interesting features, I often find that I lose interest long before I run out of features. But that wasn’t the case with the two-disc director’s cut release of Tropic Thunder; it kept me entertained for hours.
The director’s cut DVD includes approximately a million and a half extras. One of the highlights is actually the movie itself—with Ben Stiller’s director’s cut adding an extra 13 minutes of random but often hilarious little extras throughout the film. But if that’s not enough, you’ll also find a number of deleted/extended scenes on disc two (with optional commentary by Stiller and editor Greg Hayden). There are also seven cast member features, a plethora of making-of features, two commentaries, and a side-splitting make-up test with a dancing Tom Cruise.
Also included is Rain of Madness, a faux documentary (along with 11 behind-the-scenes clips) on the making of Tropic Thunder (the fictional biopic, directed by fictional director Damien Cockburn—not the brilliant comedy directed by Ben Stiller), by fictional German filmmaker Jan Jürgen. If you’ve visited RainOfMadness.com, you’ve seen most of it before. But even though Jürgen’s fake accent gets a little old after a while, the feature is still good for a few laughs.
Finally, aspiring filmmakers and fans alike will be fascinated by the full mags, which show raw, unedited footage of various scenes in the movie. Be sure to check out Stiller and Downey’s improv in “Choose a Dude” (featuring Downey’s hilarious “I’m the dude playin’ the dude disguised as another dude” speech).
Tropic Thunder is definitely a must-buy DVD—because there’s just so much going on in this movie that you won’t catch it all in just one viewing. And, with its tongue-in-cheek features, interviews, and much, much more, the two-disc director’s cut edition is worth every penny. Pick up a copy—then set aside an entire weekend to go through the extras.
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